


Reawakening - Malcolm Bright

by Sherrykinss



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24374656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sherrykinss/pseuds/Sherrykinss
Summary: Reunion with an old partner, and solving an old case.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

She stood outside his door, perhaps a little too close. There was a tremble with each exhale as she worked up the nerve to buzz his doorbell. This reunion was what she was afraid of encountering. Every single memory, the good and the bad, was going to reawaken something she worked tirelessly to suppress. She was down to her last straw and she saw the anguish of the many families affected by the murderer. She couldn’t let her ego stand in the way of closing in on the killer and she knew there was only one person that could truly help. 

Malcolm Bright.

She sucked in a breath and pressed the buzzer. While she waited for a response, she was dreading the sound of his voice when he realized who had shown up unannounced. 

“Hi… it’s me. It’s-” Before she could finished, she was buzzed in.

She felt a slight sense of relief, but also a pang of guilt, because it meant he hadn’t forgotten the sound of her voice.

With each step she took up the stairs, she couldn’t fight off the desperation and the self-doubt that battled in her mind. She hated that she felt incompetent. She hated that she had to run to the one person she promised herself she wouldn’t ever call. She hated that she was confident that he was the answer to solving this case. Even though the last thing she should do in the midst of tragedy is to wallow at her bruised ego, she couldn’t control her own frustration. 

She reached the top of the stairs to find him standing near the window by his bed. The open space was dark, except for the daylight illuminating the profile of his face. 

“I’m surprised you’re in town.” He said, staring out the window.

There was no hint of emotion in his voice. She couldn’t figure out if she was welcomed, or not. 

“It took an extra effort to find you.” She replied, taking small steps to approach him.

“Well, at no fault of your own.” He said, then turned to face her.

Even though he was anxious as hell because of her sudden appearance, the only hint of his true emotion was the slight tremble in his hands. Otherwise, he had a stiff and tense demeanor. If it wasn’t for his tired eyes, she would have thought he was cold towards her. He looked pale and exhausted. She wondered if his night terrors had gotten worse

“So I’m assuming you’re not here to check on my well-being.” He sharply said.

The sharp tone in his voice caused her to slightly flinch. She shouldn’t have been surprised, it was one of the many outcomes she had prepared prior to showing up at his place.

“I was hoping you could help with a case.” She revealed.

She swallowed nervously under the scrutiny of his stare while he approached.

“Last time I heard, you were forcibly retired.” He said, stopping within a couple of steps in front of her.

“I got better. I’m better now.” She reassured him. “And I’m so close, but I need you.” She said. 

“Well, how can I refuse?” Despite the smile of alliance he flashed her, she noticed the twitch in his eyes as he walked towards the kitchen. 

She did not imagine for their partnership to resume so easily. It was rather perplexing, and only made her wonder what kind of setbacks would occur. 

“Wine?” He offered, holding up a bottle to show her a fancy label.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink.” She said.

He noticed a more uncomfortable shift in her body language. “Not anymore?” He asked, as he poured himself a glass.

Her eyes shifted down to the floor as she approached the kitchen island. “No.” She said, taking the files out and setting them in front of him. 

“Good for you.” He said, realizing he had touched upon a sore spot. 

To move on from the awkwardness, he flipped open the file and dove into the details. He reviewed the older files to refresh his memory. She walked him through the evidence she found when she was rather deep into the rabbit hole. She was hoping he could possibly make some sense of it or make a deeper connection to the puzzle pieces she found. When he did, she was relieved to have made the right decision to ask for his help.


	2. Reawakening 2

A big explosion was the last thing she could clearly recall after entering a dark warehouse by the dock. What came next was utter chaos which smothered her surroundings. Pain struck every fiber of her being from the abrupt impact of her body slamming into rubble. Her vision was clouded by the smoke and dust that filled the air. 

Even with the burning of soot filling her lungs, she fought hard to stay awake. Her face was soaked with tears from the mixture of pain and the fuzzy sight of her teammates being swallowed up in tragedy. Thankfully, her partner, Malcolm was chasing down a separate lead. Otherwise, she would have lost her whole team. 

The echoing screams of fear and agony pierced her ears, until it blended into the ringing of more explosions. Her head hurt like hell and she could feel the room get hotter. She could barely move towards her screaming teammates. She lost them. It was her fault. She didn’t listen, because she was too impatient. This was the consequence of her arrogance.

“Hey… are you okay?”

His hand slid over the surface of her hand. His touch brought her back to reality, waking her from the traumatic replay that tragedy. 

“Hm? Yeah, just… going over some old details.” She couldn’t tell him that going over the old reports of the incident that night was triggering her PTSD. She knew he still dealt with his own demons, but it wouldn’t stop him for self-righteously stopping her from continuing the case. 

After surviving the incident, she was put on probation. Despite being advised to let other agents to handle the case, she continued working it, rather obsessively. Her actions were manic, and reckless. She was defiant against her superiors. Malcolm tried to help by reassuring her that he was working hard to chase leads. However, with the loss of several agents, the scrutiny coming from the chain in command only made it harder to chase down any leads without strong evidence. She wasn’t pleased by the speed the investigation. All those new rules were holding her back from real progress, so she broke a few. She crossed a line so far, even Malcolm couldn’t cover for her. 

With the direction she was heading, she knew she was going to be fired. So before they could pull the trigger, she stepped down. It just meant that she was going to continue the chase without a badge. She couldn’t let the serial killer with 6 previous murders and 3 fresh murders get away. Not without real penance. 

Malcolm continued with the FBI, but he also went down a rabbit hole. With the pace the investigation was going, the chain in command was slowly pushing him off the case and onto newer cases that demanded attention. He excelled at his job, but it didn’t mean he could solve every case. 

Weeks turned to months, She worked every single lead, tirelessly, and obsessively. Her guilt was eating away her sanity. She viciously chasing down every lead, but would lose the killer just when she got close. It killed her to have the man best her at every turn. She was spiraling from the lack of sleep. Her friends and family stepped in to get her the help she needed. The case was wrecking her life and it wasn’t healthy. 

It was hard to get accustomed to a healthier set of rules for the first couple of months. She couldn’t refuse the therapy sessions, not when her family and friends pleaded with her so desperately. She couldn’t bear letting more people down. So, she worked hard to get better, to get her life back on track. 

There she stood, across from Malcolm. He would steal a couple of glances at her. He felt comforted by how healthy she looked. The last time he saw her, she was in a horrible state. If he recalled correctly, she looked worse than him. She was pale and shaky. The bags under her eyes looked so dark, he was sure it was from rubbing them awake. Her hair was unkempt and he was sure she had barely showered. She was a walking disaster. He felt guilty for losing touch with her for all that time. However, that didn’t discount for the fact that he was still a bit mad at her for severing their ties. 

“Wait. Look at this.” She said, flipping over the photograph of the killer’s last known hiding place. 

It was a small rental from a motel along the highway. Her finger tapped at the vent in the corner of the room. It was peeking out from the old slanted desk. 

“I never noticed that before. That vent. What if he hid something there?” She asked.

She stared at him with eyes wide open as if she was enlightened by her findings. 

“Even if he did, it would have been long gone. You don’t think he went back to visit after all this time to get what he stashed?” He suggested. 

“But what if he didn’t? We had plain clothes roaming around the place for weeks! There’s no way he would risk it. Remember that journal we found at his apartment? What are the chances that he stopped documenting his every move?” She asked, trying her best to persuade him.

He sighed, just like old times. Every time she stared so wide-eyed and convinced at him, he couldn’t help but humor her. 

“Well, old habits do die hard.” He said, and nodded. 

“Great, let’s go check it out.” She shuffled the papers back into an even stack as she got up.

“Whoa, it’s a little late. Let’s check it out tomorrow morning.” He reassured her.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark.” She teased him.

He chuckled, “Very funny. We’ll check it out in the morning, if there is anything there, it’s not going to disappear overnight.”

She sighed, impatient to get a step closer. It was tough reaching out to Malcolm, she didn’t want to jeopardize their reconnection.

“Fine, you’re right.” She agreed, taking note of the time. She grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. 

“Calling it a night?” He asked, getting up from his chair.

“Yeah, I want you on your A-game tomorrow morning and you can’t without a good night’s sleep.” She said, slipping her phone in her bag. 

“As an insomniac, can’t promise a good night’s sleep, but I will definitely be on my A-game tomorrow.” He said with a small smile. 

“Night terrors?” She asked in a soft voice.

She remembered the night terrors he had when they were on stake outs a couple of nights. She knew whenever it was something that involved his father, it would be a sore subject. 

“I’m fine.” He reassured her. 

She nodded, even though she spotted the chained cuffs hanging from the edge of his bed. She didn’t press the issue. Instead, she grabbed her purse and headed home.


	3. Reawakening 3

Just like Malcolm had suggested, they both met up to go over all their findings from the night before. Since this was an older case, Malcolm did not want to involve Gil and the rest of the team until there was a substantial enough evidence. He wanted to make sure that Gil and the team wouldn’t need much convincing to make an arrest.

With the details fresh in their minds, they developed a plan of action to gather evidence. The first part of the plan was to check into the motel as a couple looking to stay overnight before continuing with their road trip. They only needed to be there long enough to snoop around the motel room without any suspicion. Thankfully, the room they wanted to search was not occupied, which gave them plenty of freedom to tear the room apart.

Thankfully, the vent was still there and judging from the dust, it had not been touched in a long time. They worked fast to pull the metal out of the wall. Malcolm shined his flashlight in the small dark space, while she stuck her hand carefully inside to feel for anything hidden. He watched her facial expressions as her arm disappeared further in the space. When her eyes widened, that’s when he knew she found something. She pulled out a couple of documents folded haphazardly and a dusty tiny journal. 

They both sighed and smiled in content, relieved that their suspicions were correct. They sat on the ground looking through the content and extracting the more precedent information. 

“Malcolm, look! He mentioned this cabin his grandfather used to take him to when he was a child. What are the chances he’s there?” She asked.

“It’s been a long time, it is possible. It’s secluded and familiar. We’re closing in on him; he might feel more confident hiding in a more familiar location.” He reasoned. 

“That cabin is surrounded by forest that would take forever to navigate. We don’t have the advantage to being familiar with the area. How do you feel about calling Gil?” She suggested. 

He nodded, satisfied by the evidence they discovered He was confident from his profile that Gil would offer his support. They both were in winning spirits as they sped to the precinct. It seemed like nothing could break her mood, that is, until she brought their findings to Gil. 

Gil played by the book and the journal and documents of the killer’s many false identities were not enough to convince to patch a team together for them. He made it a point to remind them that they did not have a search warrant for the cabin. Gil also explained that searching a forest would take a lot of manpower, and the journal did not have strong indication that the killer would risk getting caught there.

She didn’t take the rejection easily. She was exhausted and tired of all the obstacles that stood in the way. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, she was going to get him this time. The only obstacle standing in the way wasn’t because of the killer, but the rule book. 

Gil’s strictness frustrated her and Malcolm could see it in her eyes. Malcolm was starting to recognize the familiar signs of a mental break. He observed closely as she shook her head in frustration while she argued the urgent need of Gil and his team. She wasn’t subtle about her hatred for the killer. 

“My answer is still no. If you need a team so badly, I suggest you try a different precinct.” Gil sternly suggested. He shot Malcolm a look of discontent, before he walked away.

Her hands curled into tight fists, refusing to accept defeat. She shot Malcolm a glare and shook her head. “I’m not giving up.” She hissed and left the station in a controlled fit of anger. 

Judging from her tone, Malcolm could only assume that she was warning him. He could see her sanity eroding away in her eyes and the tremble of her hands. He was worried that another setback would trigger something in her, and he was afraid that she wouldn’t recover this time around.

After she left, Malcolm spent some time strategizing some other ways around protocol. It was the only way to make any progression in arresting the killer. He had a line of empty cups of caffeine. He needed any and everything to keep his mind focused. The table he was sitting at had slews of paper everywhere. His eyes widened in frenzy when he finally found a way to close in on the killer.

His first thought was to call his ex-partner. He tapped his foot impatiently as he listened to the call dialing. The call went to voicemail, which upset him because he was so excited to share the news. He tried calling a second time, eyes glancing up at the clock to make sure it wasn’t because it was too late in the night. As the dial continued ringing, he felt like something was off. It was only 9 at night, he couldn’t imagine she would call it a night after what had happened earlier that day. 

The call went straight to voicemail a third time. Perplexed by the whole situation, he shoved his phone in his pocket. As his stride sped to his car, he hoped that he was making the wrong assumption, but the dread in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise. 

He sped down the highway, passing by dull yellow street lights that barely lit the area. He continued to call her phone through the entire drive. His heart raced and his mind was filled with horrid possibilities. Once he pulled up the cabin, he sent Gil a text, letting him know the location of where he was, just in case something happened. He knew Gil was going to be livid because he was going against his command, but Malcolm had a strong inkling that something bad was going to happen tonight.

As he pulled up to the cabin, Malcolm immediately recognized the car in the driveway. He was right and she was here. He groaned, dreading the trouble he was getting himself into. As quiet as he could be, he was careful getting out of his car. He turned on the flashlight in his phone, making sure to scan his surroundings. 

The lights were on in the cabin, but he didn’t hear anything coming from it. His body was crouched as he snuck around to a window. He peeked inside and saw no movement and he didn’t see her either. He crept around the back, mentally cursing himself for not having a weapon with him. Times like this, he missed the FBI. 

He saw a half opened window in the back of the cabin and decided to break into the cabin that way. He shut the flashlight off and shoved his phone in his pocket. He was cautious as he lifted the window further up, and successfully crawled into the cabin. 

The silence struck his nerves. He was confident that she was here. Yet, the owner was not in the cabin and she wasn’t anywhere in sight. His eyes scanned his surroundings. The TV was on, but it was muted. The table in front of the love seat had empty beer cans on it. Whoever was occupying the cabin was definitely there before he showed up. 

He was just about to move onto the kitchen when he heard a gunshot in the distance. He ducked his head in response, but instantly ran out of the cabin and towards the direction of the gunshot. He sprinted through the forest, He prayed that he wasn’t going to find her standing over a dead body with a gun in her hand.

He called her name out a couple of times, hoping that she would respond. When she didn’t, he stopped in his tracks to listen intently to his surroundings. It was difficult, given how loud his heart was beating. However, when he did catch something, he was somewhat relieved to hear grunting and sounds of struggle. It only meant that gunshot didn’t cause any damage. When the noises became louder, Malcolm knew he was getting closer. He jumped over uneven ground and fought through twisted branches, he caught a glimpse of her. He called out her name and when he finally reached her, his smile dropped. 

She was entranced in a rage, landing punches straight into the man’s face. The man was the killer they were looking for, yet his features were distorted from injuries. Horrified by the scene in front of him, he announced himself before pulling her off of him. He lost his balance and ended up toppling back onto the ground. 

“Stop! It’s me! It’s Malcolm!” He shouted, waking her from the violent struggle. 

Her hair was a disheveled mess, with leaves and branches tangled in it. She had the perp pinned underneath her weight. Besides his face being a bloody mess, he looked unconscious underneath her. She was breathing heavily with blood streaming down her nostrils and the corners of her lips. 

Caught by surprise, her eyes met his when she turned toward the noise. The adrenaline coursed through every fiber of her body from the early struggle with the perpetrator. Realizing it was Malcolm who just appeared, she tensed up. His light blue eyes bore deeply into hers, while her cheeks burned with shame. She felt like his stare sucked the breath from her chest. They were so filled with disappointment, and it was growing more prevalent as he slowly approached her.

His eyes trailed down to the fist she held of the perp’s collar and the other fist, bruised and bloodied from what he assuming is her continuously pounding the man’s face. 

Her jaw clenched, noticing the tears forming in the rims of his eyes. She knew he would disapprove of her method, which was why she kept it from him. Her only drive was to catch the killer, no matter the cost. It was only for her benefit than anything else. She was convinced it would heal her and finally give her closure. 

Yet, as he’s standing before her, his face flushed with utter disappointment and hurt, she never felt more ashamed. A shaky breath escaped her lips as she got up from the unconscious man. It was all over, but she feared the gravity of the consequences that followed was going to ruin the relationship she had with Malcolm. She was terrified that she was right back to where it all went wrong. 

“Was it worth it?” He asked, his voice was barely a whisper. 

Her legs were starting to give now that the adrenaline was wearing off. The pain from the blows the perpetrator landed was starting to take over as she staggered over to Malcolm. 

“I know what you’re thinking… I should have known better.” She said, as soon as he got a bit closer.

“Well yes, because if I didn’t show up you would have killed him.” He said, matter-of-factly.

“Would it had been so bad? He deserved it.” She said.

He scoffed, “That’s not your decision to make.” He said, with a stern stare.

She rolled her eyes, despite knowing quite well he saved her butt from committing a bigger crime

“You’re consumed with vengeance.” He said, in a hushed voice. He stepped in front of her, look right into her eyes.

“I…” She started, only to get choked up upon the haunting memory of that night. “I keep hearing the zipper of the body bags.” She said through a whisper.

“You can’t change what happened. You’ve got to move past it.” He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“I’ve tried, but I keep failing.” She revealed. The rims of her eyes were started to pool with tears, not because she was sad, but because she was frustrated with herself.

“You’re not your wounds, and I’m not my father.” He said. “If we let our past define us, it will ruin us. We deserve to live a better life than that.” 

She swallowed the lump in her throat and buried her face in the palms of her hands. 

“I’m sorry, Malcolm.” She apologized. 

In the distance, he could see the flashes of police lights. He sighed and pulled her into an embrace. Their past had been messy, but at least this would start the healing process.

It was all over.

Finally.


End file.
